Reversing-governor for exlosive-engines.



J. l). SWIFT.

RBVBRSING GOVERNOR POR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

v AFPLIUATION FILED DBe.1,1aoe. 949,859.

Patented Feb. 22, r1910.

.Wa-V1 i JOHN P. SWIFT, OF PAWTUCKET, .RHODE ISLAND.

REVE'RSING-GOVERNOR FOR EXPLOSIVE-ENGINES.

crasse.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910.

Application led December 1 1908. Serial No. 465,517.

To uit whom' it 'may concern:

Be it known that I JOHN P. SWIFT, a citizen o'f the United gtates, an ,a .resident of' Pawtucket, `in theccounty o Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and useful. Improvement in Reversing- Governors for Explosive-Engines, of which thefollowing is a specification. l

M` invention relates to reversing-governors or explosive-engines, and more particularly to'such engines employed in motorboats..

Thief-object of my inventionis to provide, va simple apparatus whereby the speed of an explosive-engine may first be automatically reduced to 4such speed aswill permit reversing without changing the position of the timer and then the direction. of rotation of the engine reversed by shift-ing thetimer, or whereby such reduction of speed may be effected simultaneously with .the shitting of the timer.

In carrying out my invention I may employ any suitable sparking apparatus and system of wiring, and may actuate the moving or rotating contact member of the timer, which may be ot any desired construction,

in any suitable or convenient manner. `It

will beunderstoodof course that. by increasing the number of stationary contact members I may apply-my invention to a multi-cylinder engine although I have illustrated it in connection .with a single cylinder engine.l

To limitthe speed of theenginev to that speed which will permit reversing and to maintain the saine at such reversing speed, :I prefer to employ a centrifugal governor consisting of a cup containing a conducting Huid, preferably mercury, making contact at the reversing speed of the uengine with a pin and thereby closing a shunt circuit around-fa switch, Wliich`wh'en opened breaks the circuit through the spa rking apparatus and thereb reduces the en 'ne speed. The switchv re erably is locate on the shifting lever o the timer so that the operator'may 'with one hand4 open the switch, thereby bringing the engine `to reversing speed, and then shift the position of the timer, thereby reversing the engine.

In the drawing which accompanies and, forms a part of this s e'cification, the rfigure represents, partly in e evatiouid 'artly in section, an explosive-engine provi ed with'v one of the several embodiments of my invention whereby the foregoing object has been eiected in practice.

In the figure, 1 represents the engine cylinder provided with a spark plug 2 which contains the usual primary and secondary coils and spark electrodes.

3 is a bevel gear secured to the shaft 7 which has bearings on the journal 41- and in thc outer end of the arm 25 extending from the cylinder.

5 is a bevel gear secured to the main shaft 6 of the engine and meshing with the gear.

For the purpose of more clearly explaining my invention and simplifying the drawings, I have shown avery simple form of timer consistingI of a plate 211 adapted to be turned by the shifting lever 2O about'the shaft 7 and carrying a ring 13 of fiber jor other suitable insulating material, to the rim of which the stationary contact meinber 12 is attached in any suitable manner. 'The moving: contact member of the timer consists of the spring clips 8 8 which may be of suitable shape and which are secured to and caused to rotate with the shaft 7 by clamping them between the collar 11and the screw-threaded nut 10 of the cup 14, the collar 9 being interposedbetween said clips. The cup 1+ is provided with a screw-threaded cap 15 carrying a screw-threaded'bushing 16 of insulating material. The cup 14 contains a quantity of mercury or other suitable conducting fiuid, the -levelof which when the cup is at rest is indicated by the dotted line. c. A pin 17 is threaded into the bushing 16 and its position adjusted to project into the mercury a distance depending upon what I call the critical speed of the engine upon which the governor is used, this being; the speed at which such engine may be reversed. Vihn once adjusted, the position of the pin may be fixed by the locknut 18. A stationaryI cap 19 loosely fitting over the top of t-he pm 17 or any other suitable means may be employed for vconnecting the shunt circuit m n 0 with the pin 17. The switch 21 is mounted preferably on the under side of the shifting lever 2'0 of the timer and is provided at its inner end with a contact piece 28 which passes through the insulating bushing 25 and which is maintained against the contact piece 23 n the plate of the'timer by means of the springF 22.

, B is a battery or other suitable source of tioned critical speed, the mercury in the cup spreads out along the walls of the cup and takes/a position such as that shown by the dotted line b thereby breaking the connection A gines comprising a timer, a spark-producmg of the` shuntcircuit m n o with the spring contacts 8 8, so that the spark-plug receives current from the battery by way of the point m, cont-acts 23 25, timer-plate 24, shaft 7, spring-clips 8 8, contact member 12, thence through the primary of the sparkcoil and the vibrator back to the battery. l/Vhen it is desired to reverse the engine, the operator grasps the lever Q and presses the outer end of the switch 2l thereby 'opening the circuit above traced at the points 23 23 and ,thus denergizing the spark-plug.

.iii the cup ,vibrator hack to the batterv.

Sparking now ceases and the speed of the engine rails until the level of the mercury 14 rises sutliciently to contact with the plug 17,'Wheieupon the shunt circuit bridges the gap between the contacts 23 Q3 and sparking is resumed. .The spark-plug now receives current by way of the shunt circuit mn 0, pin 1T, the mercury in the cup 14, spring-clips S 8, contact member l2, thence through thc primary of the lspark-coil and So long as'the "switch Q1 is opened and the current enercircuit fm, n 0,

gizes the spark-plug by Way of the shunt the speed of the engine will be limited to, and maintained at or below, critical speed', this being due to the intermittent making and breakingot the contact between the pin 17 and the mercury in the cup le due to continual variations in the level of said mercury. As spon as this critical speed is reached the engine may be reversed, if desired, in the usual manner by turning the timer about the shaft 7 to retard the time of sparking. It will be noted that by'opening the circuit at the oints 23, 23 by the switch 2l which is distinct from the timer, the speed may be reduced to the critical speed without shifting the position oi the timer. However, the position of the timer may be'shifted, if desired, simultaneously with the opening of the switch 2l.Y

I am aware that it is old to redt` the speed of an explosive en e by a centrifugally operated governor, ut so far as I am aware am the irst to produce a reversing governor whereby the critical speed may be obtained Without at the same time advancing or rearding the time of the spark. This manifestly is an advantage in many situations, especially Where'the engine provided 1 with the reversing governor is employed in a motor-boat.

it will be obvious-that the conducting fluid or mercury governor herein disclosed preis 'as `follovvsz By centriff the l i l l 4 i i 1 apparatus connected in series therewith, a switch .for breaking the circuit thi'oughthe spark-producing apparatus Without shifting l around said switch, and a centrifugal governor containing a conducting fluid and connected to close said shunt circuit when the engine reaches a predetermined speed.

2. A reversing governor Yfor explosive-engines coinpi'isinfr a timer, a shifting lever therefor, a spar-producing apparatus connected in series with said timer, a switch mounted on said shifting lever for breaking the circuit through the spark-producing apparatus without` shifting the position of said timer, a shunt circuit connected around said switch, and a centrifgual governor containing a conducting iuid and connected to close said shunt circuit when the engine reaches a predetermined speed.

3. yA reversing governor. for explosive-engines comprising a timer, a spark-producing apparatus connected in series therewith, a switch for breaking the circuit through said spark-producing apparatus Without shifting the position of said timer, a shunt circuit connected around said switch, and a centrifugal governor containing a conducting tluid rotating With the moving Contact member of said timer and connected to close said shunt circuit when the engine reaches a predetermined speed. y

4. A. reversingfgovernor for explosive-engines comprising a timer, a shi ing lever therefor, a spark-producing apparatus connected in series with said timer, a switch mounted on said shifting lever for breaking the circuit through the spark-producing apparatus without shifting the position o? said timer, a shunt circuit connected around said switch, and a centrifugal. governor eofitaining a lconducting luid rotating Yith the moving conta-ct member of said timer and connected to close said shunt circuit when the engine reaches 'a predetermined speed.

5. A reversing-governor forexplosive-engines comprising al timer, a spark-producing apparatus connected in series therewith a switch independent of the timer for breaking the circuit through the spark-producing apparatus, a centrifugal governor contain'- ing a conducting duid, a contact member' carried by and insulated from said governor said contact member being connected in shunt with said switch, whereby the speed the position of said timer, a shunt circuit' ol the engine may be limited to the speed at which the engine may be reversed without shitting the position of the timer, and means for shifting the position of the'timer to reverse said engine when the latter. has reached said speed.

G. A reversing-governor for explosive-engines comprising a timer, a spark-produc.- 'nig apparatus connected in series therewith a switch independent. of the timer vfor breaking the circuit `through the spark-producing apparatus, a centrifugal governor containing mercury, a contact member carried by and insulated from said governor said contact member being connected in shuntwith said switch, nf'hercby tlie speed of the engine may be limited to the yspeed at which the engine may be reversed Without sliiftino' the position of the timer, and means for shiting the position ot tlie timer to reverse said' engine when the latter has reached said speed.

7. A reversing governor for explosive-en-l gines comprising a cup containing a .con-' ducting-Huid, a..contact-member carried by and insulated' from said cup, a stationary cap in electrical contact- Witli said contactincinber, mea-ns for rotating said cup, a spalli-producing apparatus,- aii energizing circuit therefor, and a circuit in series with said tiuid and contact-inen'iber connected in shunt. to said energizing' circuit and having one 'terminal connected to said cap.

S. A reversing governor for explosive-engines comprising :i cup containing mercury, a .contact-member carried by and insulated Jfrom said cup, a stationary cap in electrical contact' with said contact-member, means for rotatingy said cup, :i spark-prmlucing appaj ratus, an energizing circuit. therefor,l and a circuit in series vWit-li said mercur)T and contact-member'connected in shunt to said energizing circuit and having'one terminal connected to said cap." l

9. A reversing governor for explosive-etgines comprising a cup containing a con# ducting-fluid, a -contact-member carried by and insulated from said cup, a stationary cap in electrical contact with saidcontactmember, means for adjusting said member with respect to the normalvxlevel of said fluid, means orrotating saidy cup, a sparkproducing apparatus, an energizing circuit therefor, and a circuit in series with r'id fluid and contact-member connected in sliinit to said energizing circuit and" having one terminal connected to said cap.A

10. A reversing governor for explosiveengines comprising a cup containinginercury, a contact-member carried by and insulated from said cup, a stationary cap in electrical contact with said contact-member, means for adjusting said member with revspect to the normal level of said mercury,

means for rotating Said cup, a spark-producing apparatus, an energizing circuit therefor, .and a circuit in sei-ies with said mercury and contact-member connecte-din shunt to said energizing circuit and having one terminal connected to said cap.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto sulscribed my naine this 28th day ot' Nov., 19 8.

JOHN l". i SWIFT.- 

